Locked Inside
by Kylie Anderson
Summary: Kidnapped and locked in cement rooms, the team must play a dangerous game...a game of cat and mouse. Can they figure out a series of clues in order to save themselves? Or will they be locked inside forever?
1. Chapter 1

Locked Inside

Chapter 1

Leroy Jethro Gibbs quickly picked up the ringing phone on his desk. Anthony DiNozzo noticed the gesture and had concluded that NCIS probably had a case. He looked around the bullpen to see that Ziva David and Timothy McGee were also watching their boss intently.

_It had been such an easy day so far._ Tony thought. _I just had to sit around…pretend like I was working… _Gibbs placed the phone on its hook and got up. "Gear up…" Gibbs began, but saw that it wasn't necessary to say.

The team already had their backpacks and were headed to the elevator. Gibbs couldn't help but put a tiny smile on his face. He had taught them well.

((-))

Ziva looked at Tony who was driving and drinking his coffee nosily. "Could you be any sloppier?" Ziva asked annoyed.

Tony gave her a quick glance before setting the coffee down. "What's wrong with you?" Tony asked. "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"I don't get that saying. How can you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Is there are right way to get out of bed?" Ziva asked quickly.

McGee, who was sitting in the back of the small car, gave a small chuckle. "Something funny probie?" Tony barked.

Alert, McGee shook his head. "No…" McGee attempted to lie with a smile on his face. "Nothing…"

((-))

Upon arriving at the crime scene, Ziva, Tony and McGee found that Gibbs was already there. "How did he get here so fast? He was behind us…" McGee muttered.

"Maybe he's magic…like Farry Otter." Ziva suggested quietly.

Tony laughed quietly. "I think she means _Harry Potter_." Tony said to McGee.

Ziva shot them a hard look before turning to Gibbs who was drinking his coffee as he looked at the dead body in the middle of the driveway. "Who is he?" Ziva asked quickly.

"James Prick…marine…" Gibbs muttered looking over the body.

The body was lying in the middle of a driveway to an average looking house. There was a large pool of blood under the body. Tony flipped open his notebook. "The house belongs to the vic." Tony said quickly.

"He appears to have been shot." McGee added.

Ziva quickly opened her bottle of water and took a sip. McGee noticed Ziva's water and looked at her. "Can I…?" McGee began.

Nodding, Ziva handed the water to McGee. "It's going to be a long day." Ziva warned him. "I think I'm going to need ten more bottles of water."

McGee took a sip before handing the bottle back to Ziva. Gibbs glanced around to see that while the crime scene tape was up, there were no patrol cars. It was oddly empty and NCIS appeared to be the only people there. There were no gawking neighbors…no one. Tony picked up on this as well. "Something's not right." Gibbs stated.

Ziva was now on full alert as well. Tony nodded, but found the world was spinning way too fast around him. He began to sway before collapsing. Gibbs said something, but it sounded odd to his own ears and he too fell down. Ziva didn't even have time to think before falling as well and McGee was the last to drop.

((-))

Slowly waking up, Tony was completely confused. There were cement walls everywhere he looked. He saw one body-like figure next to him. He checked his wrists and feet, but he wasn't bound. "What happened?" Tony wondered aloud before remembering the odd crime scene.

Carefully, Tony attempted to get a closer look at the body, but due to the poor lighting, he couldn't tell who the person was or if they were alive. He found the person's head and felt that it had long hair. "Ziva!" Tony realized quickly.

"Hmm?" Ziva said slowly waking up. "Get your hands off of my head Tony!"

They were both sitting up. "Okay, what is going on?" Tony asked.

Ziva was quiet for a moment. "I believe we were all drugged and kidnapped." Ziva stated.

"If that's so, where is McGee? Where's Gibbs?" Tony questioned.

Sighing, Ziva shrugged. "I don't know. My head is pounding." Ziva muttered. "It feels like I'm over-hung."

"Hung-over," Tony quietly corrected.

((-))

McGee glanced around the small concrete room in which he was held. There appeared to be no way out. _That's impossible. _McGee thought. _I'm in here, so I had to get in here some way. _

He noticed that no one else was in the room with him. "Where are Ziva, Tony and Gibbs?" McGee questioned to the empty room.

There was only a little light provided by a tiny light bulb on the ceiling.

((-))

It was cold. That was the first thing Gibbs noticed before looking at his shirt and seeing there was a coffee stain on it. "Darn it!" Gibbs muttered. "This was my good shirt!"

Although he noticed that he was alone in a dark, cement room, Gibbs didn't plan on acting like an innocent victim…unless this was his fourth ex-wife…She packed a powerful punch that one…

A/N- I hope you like it so far. This is based off of my dream I had. It was so weird… Gibbs, McGee, Tony and Ziva were all kidnapped like this and then…well, that would give away the ending!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ziva looked around the dimly light room. She saw something that caught her eye. She shakily stood up and walked over to the wall where a piece of paper was taped. She took it off the wall and began to read it.

_Hello Ziva David and Anthony DiNozzo, _

_You are currently locked inside a basement. This is no ordinary basement though. There are a series of rooms and in each room there is a different clue. If you can figure out what my motive is, then you can be set free. Consider it a game. _

_However, there are also two other players. Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Timothy McGee are also locked in two other rooms. Timothy is going to die. Gibbs is also going to try and figure out another part of my complex plan. You will then met up with Gibbs and discuss what is going on. If you do not have the correct conclusion, all three of you will die. If you have the correct conclusion, you shall live. It is quite simple really. _

_First, you must figure a way out of this room. _

_Your Hallow Friend _

_P.S- By the way, you only have 24 hours to figure out what is going on. If you do not have a conclusion by then, you shall die. Best wishes! _

Tony felt himself pale. "Ziva, this is one sick guy we're dealing with." Tony said quietly.

Ziva looked at him sadly. "I know." Ziva said softly. "But we have no choice. We must play this game of his or else we're going to die."

Pacing around the small around, Tony knew he was starting to panic. "How are we supposed to find a way out?" Tony questioned. "It's all cement!"

Reading the note over and over, Ziva sighed. "I don't know Tony." Ziva said quietly.

((-))

Gibbs noticed a piece of paper on the wall. He quickly got up and began to read it.

_Hello Leroy Jethro Gibbs, _

_You are currently locked inside a basement. This is no ordinary basement though. There are a series of rooms and in each room there is a different clue. If you can figure out what my history is, then you can be set free. Consider it a game. _

_However, there are also three other players. Ziva David, Anthony DiNozzo and Timothy McGee are also locked in two other rooms. Timothy is going to die. Ziva and Anthony are going to try and figure out my motive. You will then met up with them and discuss what is going on. If you do not have the correct conclusion, all three of you will die. If you have the correct conclusion, you shall live. It is quite simple really. _

_First, you must figure a way out of this room. _

_Your Hallow Friend _

_P.S- By the way, you only have 24 hours to figure out what is going on. If you do not have a conclusion by then, you shall die. Best wishes! _

"No pressure there," Gibbs muttered to himself starting to feel slightly lightheaded.

_And guess what. There's no one to bail you out. No team to help you. I bet no one has noticed we're missing. They probably think we're working that crime scene…that was a fake. _Gibbs thought bitterly.

((-))

A piece of paper caught McGee's eye. He stood up and retrieved it. He began to read it.

_Hello Timothy, _

_For you, it is quite simple. It doesn't matter where you are or anything like that. You are going to be killed. Your friends are playing a game for their life and I needed a body for one of the clues. I put all of your names in a hat and guess what! You're name was drawn. _

_Not fair? Yeah well, life isn't fair. I'll give you some time to think about that before I kill you. I don't need the body for a while, so just relax and think about how screwed up life is. _

_The Witness, the Judge and the Jury in this game _

McGee felt his mouth go dry and he sank to the floor. He name was drawn out of a hat? That's the reason he was going to die?

((-))

Abby bounced into the bullpen to see that no one was there. Her face dropped. Ducky was walking by and Abby ran up to him. "Hey, where's the team? Did they get a case?" Abby questioned.

Ducky shook his head. "If they had a case, I would have been called." Ducky said. "Why?"

Abby shrugged. "I was bored and I didn't have anything to do, so I was going to bug them, but they're not here." Abby said sighing.

"Hmm…I wonder where they could be." Ducky said quietly. "Something doesn't feel right."

"Gibbs's gut rubbing off on you?" Abby questioned with a frown. "'Cause it's rubbing off on me. Something isn't right."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Abby was now pacing around the bullpen. She knew something was very wrong. "Calm down Abigail," Ducky said in a soothing voice.

"I've called him eight times!" Abby said worriedly. "Gibbs isn't answering his phone!"

Ducky sighed. "The director is coming down now…" Ducky began.

He didn't need to say anything. Abby was already running toward the director at an alarming rate.

((-))

Ziva sighed as she read the note again. "There isn't anything in that note!" Tony said sharply.

Looking over at him, Ziva looked slightly upset. "Don't get mad at me Tony…" Ziva said quietly.

"Sorry…it's just…" Tony began before fading into silence.

"I know," Ziva said quietly.

There was silence again as Ziva read the note. "Wait!" Ziva said excitedly. "Hallow…the man signs it as 'Your _Hallow_ Friend'! Maybe the guy got confused with the word _hollow_…I did the same thing when I came into America! It's a common mistake!"

Tony nodded. "Yeah, I do that all the time." Tony said. "But who cares? What does hollow have to do with anything?"

"What if one of these walls is _hollow_? We could kick right through it!" Ziva said excitedly.

Tony smiled at her. "You know this reminds me of a movie…" Tony began happily.

Ziva rolled her eyes, but she was relived to have some comedy. She quickly began to tap on the walls and Tony followed her suit.

((-))

Director Jennifer Shepard saw Abby barreling towards her and attempted to get out of the way, but was too slow. She was enveloped in a large hug. "I'm so happy to see you!" Abby said while still hugging Jenny.

Ducky was right behind Abby. "Umm…" Jenny said. "Could you let go of me?"

Abby realized she was still squeezing and let go. "Sorry, but we have a problem!" Abby said quickly. "Gibbs isn't answering his phone. Tony isn't answering his phone. Ziva isn't answering her phone. McGee isn't answering his phone. They aren't here. No one's seen them and I think something is wrong."

Michelle Lee overheard them speaking and walked over to them. "Umm…I heard Special Agent Gibbs tell the team to 'gear up' and they were heading to a crime scene." Lee said quietly.

Jenny looked confused. "I didn't give them a case…" Jenny said slowly before turning to Abby. "I think you're right Abby. Something is wrong."

Abby nodded looking upset. "How did Agent Gibbs get the crime scene?" Jenny asked.

Lee shrugged. "I'm not sure, but he did get a phone call before going out." Lee said in her soft voice.

Jenny nodded slowly looking at Abby, Lee and Ducky. "Okay, before we jump to any conclusions, let's see if we can trace the call that Gibbs got." Jenny said carefully.

Abby jumped. "I'll do it." Abby said quickly before going in search of Gibbs's desk phone.

((-))

Gibbs noticed the word 'hallow' and realized it should have been 'hollow'. "Idiot," Gibbs muttered. "Can't even spell and he's trying to play a game with a federal agent? I can already tell who's going to win…"

He began to tap on the walls of his room before finding a hollow area. He began to kick at it until it broke open. Finally, he crawled though the hole and emerged to the other side.

"Task one: completed. Your time starts…now. And I'm watching you Agent Gibbs." A voice boomed from above him.

Gibbs stood up and dusted himself off. He looked up and saw a camera along with an announcement system. "Nice to meet you too…" Gibbs muttered angrily.

((-))

Tony looked excited. "I think I found it!" Tony shouted.

Ziva rushed over to his side. She too heard the hollow sound. They began to kick until they broke through the other side. It was a small hole and Tony looked at Ziva expectantly. "Ladies first…" Tony offered.

Suddenly, Ziva began to bust out laughing. "What's so funny?" Tony demanded.

"I was…just wondering…if it's ladies first…why you aren't going through the hole?" Ziva said in-between hysteric laughs.

Tony tossed her a sneer before crawling through the small hole. Ziva followed him. When they finally stood up in the next room, a loud noise caught their attention. "Task one: completed. You two are a bit slower than Agent Gibbs. He's already on to the next task. Your time starts…now. I'm watching you!" The voice said coldly.

Looking up, Ziva could see the camera. "Smile, you're on candy camera." Ziva said with a cold face.

"Candid camera," Tony said quietly. "You know, I was watching that show and…"

Ziva rolled her eyes before looking around the room. _If he keeps this up, I just might kill him myself. _Ziva thought before a smile appeared on her face.

Tony, thinking Ziva was listening, smiled too. "Yeah, I thought it was hilarious too. It was the best episode." Tony finished.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Abby typed away quickly on her computer. "Okay so now I'm going to trace it through the second and reroute it…" Abby began before looking around her empty lab. "I need you back here McGee. You would be able to make it more fun to do a back-trap trace on a standard landline."

She sighed as she went back to work only to stop again. "And I need you here Gibbs because you're the only one who brings me Caff-Pow's…and I need you Ziva and Tony because I think you're going to kill each other and it makes my day and…and…" Abby began before fading into silence.

"Do you have a location from the call?" A voice barked from the door.

Abby almost jumped out of her skin before turning around. "Director!" Abby said surprised.

Jenny smiled. "Sorry Abby," Jenny apologized.

Sighing, Abby shook her head. "It's me that's sorry. I can't trace this call. It's all my fault. What if they die because I couldn't trace the call?" Abby said tearfully.

Jenny patted Abby's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Abby, they're not going to die. We still don't know what happened. Metro PD could have called Gibbs as a favor instead of calling me." Jenny said gently.

"Would Metro PD have an untraceable number?" Abby asked bitterly.

Jenny knew Abby was right. This was looking more and more disturbing. At that moment, Lee walked in. "Gibbs wrote down the location of the crime scene on a piece of paper on his desk." Lee announced. "I've sent agents over there."

Quicker than Superman, Jenny and Abby bolted past Lee into the elevator.

((-))

McGee assessed his options. He could A) stay there until he was killed or B) stay there until someone came in and attempted to fight them off. Either way, he had to wait. Was that his challenge? To see how much isolation he could take? How he could scare himself into a nameless fear?

All of a sudden, a door opened. McGee couldn't believe it. There was no door…unless it was covered to look like the rest of the wall. A man with a ski mask entered setting up two small televisions without a word. He plugged them into a socket (that McGee never saw and figured was cover as the rest of the room). McGee suddenly saw Tony and Ziva walking around a small room. On the other screen, McGee saw Gibbs looking all around another room.

He could hear their voices and it was the oddest thing. "It's live." The man said simply before walking out.

On the corner of each screen was a time stamp. It appeared to be counting down from 24 hours…

((-))

Tony and Ziva were in a room smaller than the shipping box they were trapped in when they were working a case they liked to call "Boxed In". There was a door at the end of the room and Ziva saw it had no handle. "How do we get out?" Ziva questioned.

"Solve a riddle…or something…" Tony suggested looking at the walls.

There were pictures of clowns lining two sides of the cement room. "Clowns? What is this?" Ziva asked clearing annoyed.

Tony noticed that there was a piece of paper with writing on it. He took it and began to read.

((-))

Gibbs saw that there was a door, but it had no handle. There was only a picture and a note taped to the wall. He quickly looked at the picture. It was of Lincoln, the United States 16th president. The note was short.

_Figure out where I was born and raised based on the picture. _

_When you figure it out, the door opens. _

He searched his mind for everything he knew about Lincoln. "You were born and raised in Kentucky." Gibbs said firmly realizing that was where Lincoln was born.

"Wrong answer," A voice said coldly. "For that mistake, you get five minutes deducted from the time."

Gibbs did not look happy. "Hey, you never said that! How can I play this game if you don't tell me the rules?" Gibbs shouted.

He was now quite angry and stooped off to think.

((-))

_Figure out what I hate _

_When you figure it out, the door opens. _

Ziva looked at Tony. "That's it? No more hints?" Ziva questioned.

Tony shook his head. "No. That's it." Tony said sighing.

Looking at the clowns, Ziva shrugged. "Based on the number of clowns, I think we can safely rule out that he hates clowns." Ziva said. "In fact, I think he's obsessed with clowns."

((-))

Upon arriving at the scene, Jenny, Abby and Ducky saw a body lying in a pool of blood. Jenny felt her heart sink when she saw the two government vehicles. The perimeter was blocked off with a yellow crime scene tape, but the place seemed empty.

Another agent walked up to Jenny. "Director, this is a housing development and currently, no one lives here. It will start housing people in six months." The agent said quickly. "But apparently the documents were hacked into and it made it seem like this house belonged to a marine named James Prick."

Jenny nodded. "Thank you." Jenny said quickly.

Ducky was bent over the body before he let out a sigh. "This man was not murdered. He's not even dead." Ducky announced.

Abby and Jenny looked at him confused. "Is he alive? Do we need to call a paramedic?" Jenny asked quickly.

Ducky shook his head. "No, he's a wax figure." Ducky said with a smile before frowning. "A very good one. Even I thought he was real until I stuck the liver probe in him…or 'it' actually. I'm not sure if the blood is real or not, but chances are it isn't."

Abby noticed two coffees on the ground along with a bottle of water. "This was a set up." Abby said bitterly.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Gibbs paced the small room with frustration. He should have paid more attention in history class… Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States of America. He was born in Kentucky and was assassinated in the Ford Theatre by John Wilkes Booth. That much Gibbs knew. But where this person grew up? He had no clue.

If they were playing a game of death, did that mean where Lincoln was killed? Yes, he didn't die in the Ford Theatre (he died in a nearby house), but that didn't matter. Both the Ford Theatre and the house were located in Washington D.C.

Smiling, Gibbs realized he had figured it out. "You were born and raised in Washington D.C." Gibbs stated.

The door automatically opened. "Task two: completed." The voice said calmly. "Good job."

((-))

Tony watched as Ziva paced the small room. "Maybe we should count the clowns," Tony suggested in a joking way. "It's like counting sheep…only with clowns…"

Ziva wasn't even going to respond. "What do clowns represent? They represent happiness and joy." Ziva said quickly.

Sighing, Tony shrugged. "Well, this guy obviously hates happiness and joy. If he liked them, we would be having a tea party." Tony said with a smile.

Looking at one picture, Ziva noticed the clown was crying and his paint was running off. "Tony, look at this." Ziva said pointing to the picture.

Tony walked over to the picture. "Clowns are people…people that are sometimes pretending to be what they're not." Tony said slowly.

Ziva nodded. "That's what I was thinking. They put on a mask and a new identity." Ziva said. "So, he hates people who pretend to be something they're not."

"Task two: completed." The voice said firmly. "Not bad…you're smarter than I thought."

The door opened. Ziva and Tony looked at each other happily.

((-))

Abby couldn't bring herself to play her music. She just waited until Jenny and Ducky entered the lab. "What do you have?" Jenny questioned.

Sighing, Abby handed Jenny a file. "I found that the blood wasn't really blood. It was paint." Abby said quietly. "I attempted to find the guy who changed the documents to make it seem like someone was living at that house, but I couldn't trace his IP address. The guy is smart."

Ducky patted her shoulder. "We're going to get them back." Ducky said gently.

"I also was wondering how someone got four federal agents to go with them. I'm assuming they're still alive because we didn't find their…bodies. When I saw the two coffees and water bottle, I thought I should analyze them. I found they all had GHB in them, which is a date-rape drug. The two coffees belong to Gibbs and Tony. The water bottle has two DNA donors on it- Ziva and McGee. So, my guess is that they got there and the drug was already in their system. They passed out and were kidnapped." Abby said taking a deep breath. "Which I guess is good because it means that the people or person that took them doesn't want them dead…yet."

Jenny gave her a tiny smile. "Gibbs is tough. Tony is…Tony. Ziva is a trained assassin and McGee is smart. They'll be fine." Jenny reassured her.

((-))

McGee glanced around at the video relived that his friends made it through the first room. "Come on," McGee muttered. "You guys can do it…"

What McGee realized through watching the videos was that no matter what happened, Ziva, Tony and Gibbs still had a chance. He knew that Gibbs wanted nothing more than to kill the man, but he also knew that he had no choice but to keep going. Tony, as much as he joked, was scared at the same time. Ziva was impatient and like Gibbs, wanted to confront this man face to face.

From watching the videos, he knew that he had no hope. He was going to be killed. There was no way Gibbs or anyone else was going to be flying in to save his skin at the last moment.

He sighed watching them move on to the next sick game.

((-))

Tony jerked his head up. "Did you just hear that?" Tony questioned.

Ziva nodded glancing around. "That sounded like McGee!" Ziva announced.

Puckering his lips, Tony wondered where McGee could possibly be. "Maybe he's a ghost." Tony said absent-mindedly.

((-))

McGee heard Tony and Ziva talking about him. "Tony! Ziva! Can you guys hear me?" McGee questioned.

In the monitor, Ziva and Tony nodded. "Yes, we can hear you. Where are you?" Ziva questioned.

"I'm locked in a room watching you from a monitor." McGee replied. "Keep going! You're time is running out!"

Tony paused. "Wait, McGee, what did it mean in the letter by you were going to die?" Tony asked.

It was silent for a minute. "He's going to kill me Tony." McGee said softly. "But you still have a chance. Keep going."

All of a sudden, Gibbs looked up from his room. "What a sappy moment! Let's move it people!" Gibbs barked.

"Boss!" Tony exclaimed.

Ziva smiled. "Did you not hear me DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked in a bitter voice.

Although Gibbs was trying to stay strong for the team, he really just wanted to call out to them and tell them how much they meant to him…but that was a sign for weakness. "Yes boss!" Tony said quickly. "Trying to make sure some wacko doesn't kill us and eat our flesh like on that movie…"

Gibbs cleared his throat and Tony couldn't help but grin. "On it boss!" Tony said swiftly.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tony turned back to Ziva in a more serious manner. There was a word spray painted on to two walls. It was a simple word. All it said was 'society'. A paper was sticking to the wall and Ziva got it. She began to read it out loud.

_Figure out what is happening to me _

_You have only a minute before the game ends forever. You get this correct and you leave the room…alive._

All of a sudden, the two walls with the word 'society' on them began to move closer together…with Ziva and Tony in the middle!

((-))

Gibbs noticed that the air in the new room seemed to be thick. It tasted horrible as well. He began to gag and cough. His vision started to blur. _It's like a gas chamber!_ Gibbs realized.

He saw a paper on the wall and managed to stagger over to it. He saw the words, but couldn't read them very well. He searched around for the camera. He held the paper up to the camera. "McGee!" Gibbs called weakly.

((-))

It didn't take McGee long to figure out that Gibbs was in real trouble as were Tony and Ziva. He noticed Gibbs was calling out for him. He read the note that Gibbs was holding to the camera. "It says 'Figure out what my mother did to me as a kid and then you will be able to move on'." McGee read quickly.

Gibbs nodded. "She probably tortured him!" McGee offered.

Again, Gibbs nodded before coughing.

((-))

McGee kept telling him what to say, but Gibbs already knew. It was so difficult to speak though… He couldn't focus and felt like he was losing grip of reality. _I'm going to die. _Gibbs realized suddenly.

With that, he took all of the strength he had and stood up straight. "Your mother abused you." Gibbs declared at last slowly.

The gas suddenly began to dissipate and Gibbs sank to the floor taking deep breaths. "Task three: complete." A voice said calmly. "Need I remind you Agent Gibbs that the clock is still running?"

((-))

After a few moments, McGee realized that he had lost both audio and video feed to Ziva and Tony. His heart stopped. The walls…could they…? "No!" McGee cried. "No!"

Gibbs seemed to perk up on McGee's panicked voice. "What is it?" Gibbs questioned.

"We lost video and audio feed to Tony and Ziva. The last time I saw them, a wall was going to crush them." McGee said shakily. "Gibbs…I don't think…I don't think they're alive."

Gibbs was silent. There was no way that Ziva and Tony could be dead…or could there?

((-))

Jenny paced her office. She couldn't just wait. There had to be something she overlooked. There had to be some clue. The more Jenny thought, the more she paced. Finally, she threw her hands in the air. "This is impossible!" Jenny muttered.

She quickly picked up the phone. It took her only a few seconds to dial a number. "Hey Jimmy…" Jenny said in a sugar sweet voice. "How's the CIA treating you? Me? Oh NCIS is good…business as usual… I was wondering if you had any guys that would assist me in an ongoing case. Four federal agents have been kidnapped. You'll lend me seven agents? And give me access to all of your resources? Thank you so much Jimmy. Maybe we can go out for dinner… Bye…"

Jenny knew that she still had a few more favors to call in. She decided that the FBI would be the next be place. She searched for a number and finally found it. She sighed. Gibbs wouldn't be pleased, but if it got him back…it was worth it. "Fornell? Yes, it's me Jenny. Um…we have a situation…Gibbs and the others have been kidnapped." Jenny said with a sigh. "Could you assist NCIS? Yes, I'm aware that Gibbs wouldn't approve, but the FBI does have some good informants…Thank you."

Jenny hung up knowing that even with NCIS, FBI and the CIA, it was going to be hard to find the four agents…alive at least.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Just as the walls were about crush them, Ziva realized why the word 'society' was written on to the walls. She barely had time to think if her theory was correct or not. At that moment, she didn't care. All she cared about was living. "You're being crushed by society!" Ziva shouted.

The camera was knocked out by the wall and it was literally inches in front of Ziva and Tony before stopping. "Task three: completed." A voice said in a bored manner.

In a matter of seconds, the walls retreated to their normal position. A door opened. "Fast thinking," Tony said looking at Ziva. "Thanks…"

Ziva gave him a smile. "I didn't do it for you. I was saving my own skin!" Ziva lied in an attempt to keep her tough act.

Tony shrugged. "Either way, we're alive. Let's go." Tony said with a smile. "You know, this is like an adventure movie. We never know what's beyond the next door…"

((-))

Gibbs got up and made his way into the next room slowly. If Ziva and Tony were dead…was there any reason to keep going? Should he just quit now? Gibbs couldn't imagine what would happen if he lost any of his team members. They were like family to him.

((-))

McGee watched the screen intently. It was still black. "Come on! Where are you Tony? Ziva?" McGee whispered not noticing a tear slip from his face. "You have to be alive!"

Just as McGee was about to give up hope, the screen turned to the next room where Ziva and Tony entered into view. McGee felt his hope revived. "Tony! Ziva!" McGee called happily. "You're alive! They're alive, Gibbs! They're alive!"

Gibbs turned towards the camera and smiled. "Good work DiNozzo…David…" Gibbs said trying to keep his voice level.

Tony and Ziva turned towards the camera as well. "Thanks boss, but I froze up. Ziva saved my life." Tony said in a serious tone.

McGee felt his happiness fading away. They made it this far, but there was still so much more to go. "We're making it out of here." Gibbs said in an oddly gentle voice. "It will all be okay, got it?"

"Yes boss!" McGee replied promptly.

Tony nodded. "On it boss!" Tony said swiftly.

Ziva looked at Tony and then back at the camera. "We better get out of here soon." Ziva said sighing.

"Why? Want to get away from DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked slightly amused.

Ziva shook her head. "No! I have to use the arm…no leg…hmm…what is it call? Head! I need to use the head!" Ziva announced.

For the first time since they were locked up, Gibbs began to laugh.

((-))

Jenny glanced around the room. Special Agent Tobias Fornell was standing among a large crowd of people. Special Agent Ron Sacks, who had been the leading investigator when Tony was the prime suspect, was also in the crowd of people. Abby stood near Ducky and Palmer standing in the front. There were more FBI agents and CIA agents along with other NCIS teams. Jenny estimated that one hundred agents were in the large room. "As you all know, four of my agents are missing." Jenny stated calmly.

"How do you DiNozzo didn't just run off with a girl?" Sacks asked quickly.

Sighing, Jenny tried to have patience. "I said, _four_ agents went missing. Not just DiNozzo. There is evidence that they have been abducted and I have reason to believe they are still alive." Jenny said.

Sacks nodded realizing how serious the situation was. "What do you want us to do?" Fornell questioned. "We have all of the FBI's resources on this case. If you need more agents, we have them."

Jenny gave him a small smile. "Right now, I want to run down every lead we have. Why don't we set up a tip line?" Jenny said as more on an order than a question.

A CIA agent nodded. "On it Jen," The agent said with a smile.

Jenny realized that the agent was Jimmy, a _very _good friend of hers a long time ago. Suddenly everyone burst into action gathering intelligence, tracking down leads and answering tip lines. Abby, Ducky and Palmer stood still watching Jenny and the agents running around them. "We'll find them." Jenny promised to them.

((-))

McGee noticed that the VCR, TV and remote control all had different pieces of technology in them. He knew that because of the audio and live feed, they had to be connected to a piece of higher technology, like a computer. _Wait! If I can rewire this…I could contact NCIS with a make-shift cell phone! _McGee realized.

He knew that it would be almost impossible to make and if he was missing just one part, he could not make contact with anyone. _But I have to try! _McGee thought fiercely.

A/N- Sorry for the slow update! I've been so busy, I haven't touched my computer in like a week!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_A/N- If there is an + in the reading below, see the bottom for a further explanation of the matter. _

Ziva looked around the new room they were in. It was bare once again except for the familiar piece of paper stuck to the wall. She walked over to it and took it off the wall. Before she could read it, Tony took it from her hands like a preschooler taking a teddy bear from another preschooler. He opened it and then looked puzzled. "Uh Ziva…I don't understand this." Tony said handing it back to her.

Reading the paper, Ziva saw why Tony could not read it. It was written in Hebrew. "Hmm…" Ziva said as she began to read it.

_Shalom. To figure this clue out, you must go back to a particular sea located near your country David. When you figure out this five letter word, you will find out what quality I have lost in people. _

After Ziva translated it for him, Tony still looked confused. "That makes no sense!" Tony said shaking his head.

Although Ziva didn't like agreeing with him, Ziva had to admit, he was right.

((-))

Gibbs looking around the room to find a large white board with several blanks on it. There was a large message on the top: _what did I do in my teenage years?_ Before Gibbs could do anything, a noose slipped around his neck from the ceiling. "Ready to play hangman? Each time you get an answer wrong, the noose gets tighter." A voice said coldly.

Gibbs didn't know much about computers, but it looked like board was computer run. + He glanced at the board again taking in notice of how many letters there were.

blank blank blank blank

He was never good at these kinds of puzzles… "Um… 'o'?" Gibbs guessed.

The noose did not get any tighter, to Gibbs's relief. Instead, the puzzle began to take form.

o blank o blank o blank blank oo

_Maybe I can figure this out!_ Gibbs thought. "U?" Gibbs guessed again.

o blank ou blank o blank blank oo

"E?" Gibbs asked deciding that going with vowels was his best guess.

o e blank ou blank o blank blank oo

"I?"

o e blank ou blank o blank i blank oo

Now Gibbs was going to be as cautious as possible. He had no idea of what letter could go where. "K?" Gibbs guessed again.

The noose tightened. It wasn't too tight yet, but Gibbs knew that if he made anymore mistakes, he would certainly die.

((-))

McGee took one last look at Ziva, Tony and Gibbs. He knew that if this didn't work or if he made the slightest mistake, the man would come running in and kill McGee. _This could be the last time I see them._ McGee thought sadly. "Good luck you guys," McGee whispered softly before quickly taking apart the VCR.

((-))

Abby paced her lab aimlessly. Ducky stood by watching her distress. "Abigail dear, can you please sit down? You're making me dizzy." Ducky said quietly.

Sighing, Abby stopped pacing. "Ducky…this is beginning to look hopeless. We don't have any evidence." Abby said quietly. "They could already be dead."

Ducky nodded sadly. "I know that. However, we must believe that Jethro, Anthony, Timothy and Ziva are well." Ducky said.

"I agree with you, but they've been missing for hours now." Abby said looking out the window. "After forty eight hours of a kidnapping, the people are usually dead…"

((-))

Staring at the piece of paper, Ziva had no idea what this guy was talking about. "Isn't the Mediterranean Sea near Israel?" Tony asked sitting against a wall looking at the ceiling.

Ziva nodded. "Yes, but I don't think that's what he's referring to…" Ziva said quietly. "The Dead Sea is near Israel."

Tony practically jumped up. "Wait! The Dead Sea! I was watching…" Tony began.

"This isn't the time for a movie reference Tony!" Ziva snapped.

Sighing, Tony didn't look happy. "I wasn't going to. As I was saying, I was watching the Discovery Channel and they had this thing on the 'Dead Sea Scrolls'. It has to do with…" Tony began.

Again, Ziva interrupted Tony. "Faith! It's a five letter word!" Ziva said quickly.

Tony nodded. "He's lost faith in people." Tony said snapping his fingers.

The door automatically opened. "Task four: completed." The voice said calmly.

"Maybe it is a good thing you watch so much telesee…no…telehear? That's not right…" Ziva said muttering to herself. "Television! That's it!"

((-))

_You have to be careful Leroy. _Gibbs warned himself. _What letter should you chose next? Be careful!_ "H?" Gibbs said cautiously at last.

o e **blank** ou **blank** o **blank** hih **blank** hoo

Smiling, Gibbs felt a letter better knowing that the noose did not tighten. "D?" Gibbs asked continuing.

D o ed **blank** ou **blank** o **blank** hih **blank** hoo

Again, the noose did not get tighter.

((-))

Jenny entered Abby's lab and notice that Ducky was with her as well. "Oh, hello Ducky. I was just checking up on Abby and then I was going to see you, but I see you've saved me a trip." Jenny said in pleasant tone.

Before anyone could say anything, the phone began to ring. Abby quickly picked it up. "Hello?" Abby said cautiously.

"Abby, it's me. McGee."

A/N-

What Gibbs is seeing is a 'Smart Board' which connects to a computer and displays an image through a projector. In this case, the image is the hangman game.

Also, if you would like to try and figure out the puzzle Gibbs was given, go ahead!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Abby nearly fell to the floor. "McGee!" Abby shouted excitedly. "Where are you? What's going on? How come you haven't called before? Are you hurt? Wait, where are Gibbs, Tony and Ziva? The Director and Ducky are with me. The CIA, FBI and NCIS are all looking for you."

McGee expected this. "Please, put this on speaker phone and don't talk so loudly!" McGee said sharply.

Abby suddenly became quiet and put the phone on speaker. "McGee?" Jenny asked quietly. "Could you please explain what happened?"

"Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and I were called to a crime scene. Tony fell down, then Gibbs, then Ziva and then I started to feel dizzy and then it went black. When we woke up, Tony and Ziva were in a cement room. Gibbs was in a separate room and I was in another. We all got letters about how we were supposed to play this game. Tony and Ziva are working together to solve clues and riddles. Gibbs is by himself doing the same thing. However, I'm supposed to be the one to die. The guy put a VCR, a remote and a television in the room where I watch the rest of them go on to different clues. I took the things apart and I've been trying for hours to make a cell phone. I don't know how long this connection will last." McGee said frantically in one breath.

"Okay, calm down." Jenny said soothingly. "What kind of clues are we talking about?"

McGee quickly told her everything that Tony, Ziva and Gibbs found out. "Abby, I need you to see if you can trace this." McGee said quietly.

Abby was already at her computer typing away. "How did you get a signal with a remote control?" Abby asked as she plugged her phone into the computer.

"Well, it wasn't easy. I had to reroute the controls…" McGee began.

Abby listened as she attempted to trace it. "McGee," Abby said cutting into his long speech about how he figured it out. "I can't trace it. It's because it's not sending out a signal like a cell phone."

It was silent on the other end. "Timothy?" Ducky asked gently.

"I'm here." McGee said bluntly. "So, you're telling me that I'm going to die and Ziva, Tony and Gibbs don't have much of a chance either?"

Abby shook her head. "It's nothing like that. We're trying. You're going to be fine." Abby said letting a tear slip from her eye.

It was silent again and Abby feared that he had taken the wires out. "Abby, remember how I said that the doors opened automatically?" McGee said suddenly in an excited tone.

"Yeah…" Abby said slowly unsure of where McGee was going.

McGee smiled. "This place is high tech. What if we could hack into the control system? I just need one door opened…" McGee said.

Abby felt herself smiling. "Talk to me." Abby ordered. "What kind of wire is running near the door…?"

Jenny and Ducky just stepped letting McGee and Abby ramble in "tech talk".

((-))

Gibbs remembered the clue about how the man did something as a teenager. He looked at the board before guessing again. "C?"

D o ed **blank** ou **blank** o **blank** hih **blank** choo

"R?"

Dro ed **blank** ou **blank** o **blank** hih **blank** choo

"S?" Gibbs guessed again.

This time the noose tightened and he felt himself being lifted slightly off the ground. "T?"

Dro ed **blank** out **blank** o **blank** hih **blank** choo

Gibbs knew the games of hangman. He knew that if you guessed the word or phrase, you would win. However, if you were wrong, the man got hung…in this case, Gibbs. "You dropped out of high school." Gibbs said shakily.

He looked at the screen waiting for the noose to tighten until he could no longer breathe.

Dropped out of high school

The noose was cut loose and Gibbs quickly took it off. Another door automatically opened and Gibbs smiled. "Task four: completed." The voice said with a pause. "You're doing very well Agent Gibbs."

((-))

When Tony and Ziva entered the next room, they found it was not empty. There was a little girl barely five years old standing in front of them. She was tangled in barbed wire. Again a note was taped on the wall. Tony quickly opened it and read it out loud.

_Ziva, you must choose between saving your partner or this young girl. You will then understand how I feel when I have to make important choices. _

Tony looked confused. "What does…?" Tony began before finding himself tangled in barbed wire.

He let out a cry of pain as the wire came down from the ceiling and wrapped around him. Finally the wire stopped. Tony was bleeding much like the little girl. Ziva looked from Tony to the young girl. Ziva bent down to the girl. "Hi, my name is Ziva." Ziva said in an oddly motherly-like voice. "What's your name sweetie?"

Tony could believe that Ziva had chosen to save the little girl, but he could not believe how gentle she was. He had seen her with children before and it was not a pleasant experience…for her or the child. "Lola," The girl meekly replied.

"What a pretty name!" Ziva said with false happiness. "How old are you Lola?"

The young girl smiled. "Five!" Lola said.

Ziva nodded with a smile as well. "Okay, I'm going to take this stuff off of you. It's going to hurt a bit, but I want you to be brave. Can you do that?" Ziva asked softly.

Lola paused before nodding. Ziva took her bare hands and began to slowly untangle the barbed wire. Her hands were soon bloody as she worked on undoing it. Eventually, the barbed wire came off of the young girl. Lola was crying and very bloody. Ziva wrapped her arms around the small child with her bloody hands. "It's okay." Ziva said gently. "It's okay."

It was then that Ziva looked up at Tony. He appeared to be in a lot of pain. Bravely, Ziva stepped towards him and began to take the wire off of him. "No, it's okay Ziva. Your hands… they're already…injured." Tony muttered.

"Step away from him!" A booming voice shouted from the intercom. "You made your choice."

Ziva did not say a word. She just kept taking the wire off of him. "You get away from him or else I will be forced to kill you." The voice said angrily.

Looking straight at the camera, Ziva shrugged. "Just try," Ziva dared.

It became silent and Ziva knew she had said the wrong thing. However, she did not stop until Tony was completely out of the wire. Then, she knew there would be a heavy price to pay.

((-))

"You're brilliant McGee!" Abby said excitedly. "Try it!"

There was silent as McGee began to rewire several items. He suddenly noticed that the door swung open. "Abby, its open!" McGee said in a hushed, but excited voice.

Abby grinned, but then looked over at the director and Ducky sadly. "McGee, you have no idea who you're dealing with. Be careful." Abby warned.

McGee nodded. "I have to go…" McGee said quietly. "I…I love you Abby…"

Before Abby could say anything, she found there was no longer a connection.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Angrily, the man stormed from his room. Ziva was not supposed to save Tony! She was supposed to choose one person…and she made her choice. Who was she to defy him? How could she? She would have to pay the price…

((-))

Ziva noticed that the door did not open. She realized that the man was most likely going to carry out his threat. She looked at Tony whose face did not offer any comfort for he was thinking the same thing. All of a sudden, the door burst open.

For once, Ziva felt a shiver of fear run down her spine. Had she failed her co-workers? Would she never see her father again? Would the little girl standing beside her be traumatized by witnessing her death? Would Abby put a black rose on her coffin? More importantly, would they bury her in the traditional Jewish way of a pine box?

There was a gun in the man's face and anger etched in his eyes. Taking one last look at Tony, Ziva closed her eyes and prayed.

((-))

Abby paced the lab with her thoughts racing. "McGee's smart, but if he runs into that man…" Abby said trailing off.

Ducky patted her shoulder. "I'm sure Timothy will be fine. Like you said, he's smart. He may not be able to defend himself, but he will probably avoid trouble before he needs to defend himself." Ducky said quickly.

Jenny smiled and nodded. "Ducky's right." Jenny said gently. "Now, I should probably go brief the others on what we know."

With that, Jenny left the lab swiftly. "I guess all we can do is wait." Abby said with a sigh sitting down.

((-))

Gibbs entered the next room and had this odd feeling sweep over him. It was if he sensed something was deathly wrong. It was that infamous gut of his. Gibbs suddenly went into full alert. He scanned the room to find that it was empty. He only saw a white piece of paper, but something still didn't feel right. Gibbs always knew to trust his gut. "What's going on?" Gibbs questioned to himself quietly.

((-))

McGee slowly walked through the dark hallway cautiously. He carried part of a remote in his hand…in case he needed to defend himself. Although, the small piece of plastic would do little against a gun or knife, McGee was determined to keep going forward. He found that the cement hallway finally ended and split into a right and a left. "Which way?" McGee whispered.

There were few times that McGee had ever been lucky, but every time he was, it seemed like it was to the left. Plus, McGee had a gut feeling… _Like Gibbs. _McGee thought sadly. He decided to turn to the left.

Once he did, there was a door to his left. He slowly opened it…

((-))

The man's face was red and he appeared furious. "YOU! YOU DEFYED ME!" He shouted. "You disobeyed me!"

Ziva kept her eyes closed just waiting. She knew what was coming. _Please let it be quick! _Ziva thought as her thoughts began to wander. She thought about how she and Tony were trapped in a shipping container. She thought about how she killed her half-brother to save Gibbs. She thought about her father. She thought about Abby's perkiness and McGee's book (Lisa, she hated that name…). _Shalom world… _Ziva finally thought as a tear fell down her face.

Then, there was the sound of a gunshot…

((-))

Gibbs practically jumped at the sound of the gunshot. His gut instinct was not wrong. He suddenly feared for the lives of his teammates and began to claw at the door. He knew that it was no use, but he refused to give up. "No!" Gibbs shouted and waited.

There was only one gunshot. _McGee…_ Gibbs realized. _It had to have been him…_

Shaking his head, Gibbs refused to believe that any of his team could be dead. "No! He's not dead." Gibbs said forcefully.

The more Gibbs thought, the more desperate he became. He suddenly lost all self-control and threw himself against the door again and again. "No!" Gibbs kept repeating.

_I've failed them…_ Gibbs thought sinking to the floor letting a single tear out.

A/N- Thanks to DrusillaBraun for pointing out an error! Gibbs says "S" and the noose tightens yet the answer to the puzzle is "Dropped out of high school" which clearly has an "S". So, this is a mistake on my part, but let's just say the man was cheating. Sorry about that!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

McGee entered the room and found himself gawking at it. The walls were covered in monitors and controls. There were several laptops lying around the table that was in front of the monitors. McGee noticed that on another wall, there was a large map. He quickly realized that it was of the underground maze they were in.

Knowing that his friend's lives were at risk, McGee swiftly sat down at the computer chair in front of the monitors and began to figure out what equipment went where.

((-))

Ziva opened her eyes. There was no white light. There was no singing chorus. She looked around and saw that Tony was looking at her with horror. She glanced at her side. The little girl, Lola, was on the floor with blood pooling from under her. Ziva dropped to the ground. She tried to stop the bleeding, but already knew it was too late. Lola took her last breath and Ziva let tears fall from her face.

"Why? She was just a little girl!" Ziva shouted at the man. "She had her whole life ahead of her! You should have just killed me, you murderer!"

The man looked at her coldly. "I said there would be a price to pay. You choose not to listen." The man said quickly before leaving the room.

Ziva collapsed into Tony's arms sobbing. "Ziva…shh…it's okay." Tony said in a dry voice. "You were very brave."

Shaking her head, Ziva felt herself cry even harder. "Tell that to her parents," Ziva said motioning her head towards the dead young girl.

((-))

Fornell and several other agents nodded as Jenny finished updating them. "Okay, why don't we try and find people with similar MO's?" Fornell suggested.

Jenny nodded. "I'm guessing that Gibbs probably put this guy away." Jenny said quietly. "Or maybe even Ziva, Tony or McGee. He definitely has a grudge against them."

Fornell attempted to smile. "Even though us FBI guys don't like to admit it, your NCIS agents have a lot of guts." Fornell said seriously. "You should be very proud of them."

Sighing, Jenny gave him a nod. "I am…that's why I want them back." Jenny said firmly.

((-))

The first thing McGee noticed with the equipment was a telephone. He smiled as he dialed Abby's number yet again. It only took her one point five seconds to pick up. "McGee?!" Abby shouted. "Is that you? Or are you calling for NCIS?"

"No, it's me." McGee said.

There was a shriek on the other end followed by 'It's him Ducky! I'd knew he'd call again!'. "Abby? Abby? Are you there?" McGee questioned trying to get her attention again.

"Yes!" Abby said excitedly. "What's going on? Hold on, the director's coming. Let me put you on speaker!"

After a second, the director's calm voice came over the phone. "McGee, what's going on?" Jenny questioned.

"I'm in the main control room which is very good. I'm not sure where the man is, but I locked the door. My problem is this guy has thousands of buttons, several laptops, computers, monitors, wires… I don't know what goes where." McGee said desperately. "I don't know where Tony, Ziva or Gibbs are!"

Sighing, Jenny nodded. "Okay, relax. Everything is going to be fine." Jenny said patiently.

"You can figure it out Timothy!" Ducky said fiercely.

McGee nodded taking a deep breathe. "Abby, I need your help." McGee said at last.

Abby grinned. "I was just waiting for you to ask." Abby said happily.

"What I need to do is use the intercom system to tell Gibbs, Tony and Ziva were to go after I automatically open all the doors." McGee said quickly.

Ducky appeared confused. "Hmm…how would you be able to tell them where to go?" Ducky questioned.

"I have a map." McGee said glancing at the map on the wall.

Abby began to pace around the lab around. "Okay, talk to me. What kind of hardware do we have?" Abby questioned.

McGee turned the phone onto speaker phone and began to examine the computers. "Well…" McGee began.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Gibbs heard nothing after the gunshot. It was completely silent. What scared Gibbs the most was not the thought that he had lost a teammate, but the thought that he had lost yet another friend. After Gibbs lost Kate, he vowed never to lose a good friend again…had he broken his vow today?

"I'll probably just die here…" Gibbs said before pausing.

_You're a marine! You don't just give up like that! Even if McGee, Tony and Ziva are all dead, what's our motto? Never leave a man behind! You have to ensure that you do not leave them behind…even if they are dead. _Gibbs scolded himself. With that thought, Gibbs stood up and took the paper off of the wall. "We're going to win this game." Gibbs said firmly.

((-))

McGee quickly typed away into one of the computers. The monitors suddenly came to life. Gibbs was in a room reading a piece of paper while on another monitor, Tony was supporting a sobbing Ziva. "I've got the monitors to work." McGee announced wondering what Ziva was crying about.

Then he saw it. The dead girl in the middle of the floor… "My word!" McGee gasped.

Abby jumped up alert. "What?" Abby practically shouted.

"Shh! Do you want to get me killed?" McGee snapped.

There was silence. "Sorry Abs…this whole thing…" McGee said hanging his head in shame.

"It's okay." Abby's voice said quietly.

McGee continued to work with the computers. "Hey, I think I have the door system." McGee said quickly. "Abby, it's on a 13283HFG system so…"

Abby nodded. "Okay…here's what you're going to do…" Abby began.

((-))

Ducky and Jenny watched Abby quickly relaying information to McGee. "I feel helpless." Jenny admitted suddenly in a whisper.

There was a sigh from Ducky. "I understand…I really do. However, if we're lucky, you won't need my help in this case." Ducky said quietly.

Jenny nodded. "I really hope we don't need you…" Jenny agreed.

((-))

Tony patted Ziva's head gently. He had never seen her loose control like this. "Ziva…" Tony said quietly. "Look, we've got to move on. The time's still going…"

Closing her eyes, Ziva realized that Tony was right. "Tony, are we going to make it out of here?" Ziva questioned her voice full of desperateness.

Not wanting to instill a false hope, Tony shrugged. "I'm not sure." Tony said honestly. "But we have to try, right?"

Ziva sighed. "I guess so." Ziva said weakly.

Tony nodded giving her a small smile. "Come on, we're gonna live to see Gibbs hit us on the head again!" Tony said dryly.

Ziva let out a sound that was a cross between a sob and a laugh.

((-))

McGee realized that he had figured it out. The doors automatically opened in all of the rooms. He quickly turned on the announcement system. "Gibbs, Ziva, Tony, it's me, McGee." McGee said with a smile of pride. "You're getting out of there."

Simultaneously, Gibbs, Ziva and Tony grinned and shouted, "McGee!"

The light mood quickly changed when McGee realized that they need to work swiftly before the man suspected anything. "Okay, you need to just keep following the rooms. The doors are all open. Be careful though, I don't know where the guy is." McGee warned.

From the phone, McGee heard Abby, Jenny and Ducky whooping in happiness. "How did you figure it out probie?" Tony questioned with a grin.

Gibbs laughed and attempted to be serious. "DiNozzo!" Gibbs said trying to be sharp.

"On it boss." Tony said quickly walking through the door with Ziva right behind him.

((-))

Abby realized that the computer had traced the location that McGee was calling from. She showed the director and Ducky. Jenny had her cell phone out in seconds. "McGee, we're sending back-up to your location. I traced the call." Abby said brightly.

"Way to go Abs!" McGee said happily.

Jenny shut her cell phone and walked near the phone. "McGee, when you get Gibbs, Tony and Ziva, get out of there immediately. Don't go looking for this guy." Jenny said firmly. "Do you understand?"

McGee nodded. "Of course," McGee said seriously. "We'll be fine."

((-))

McGee didn't have time to notice that the door behind him opened. He didn't have time to turn around. He didn't have time to defend himself. All he felt was the cold metal of a gun. He heard the gun cock and he closed his eyes. "Think you're pretty smart, huh?" The man sneered.

When McGee didn't answer, the man pressed the gun harder into his head. "I asked you a question!" The man shouted.

_Stall. Jenny said back-up would be here. Just keep him waiting…_ McGee thought. "McGee? McGee?" A frantic Abby called from the phone so far away.

The man turned to it. "He won't be able to talk ever again." The man said coldly before ripping it out of the wall. "I asked you a question! Do you think you're smart?"

"I think you're pretty smart. You had to put this all together…" McGee began shakily.

The gun was freezing cold. "It's been twenty four hours." The man stated. "Time's up."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Abby looked frantic. She knew that whatever was going on was not good. "Oh my goodness!" Abby said before letting a tear fall. "McGee? Oh why? Please…"

Ducky walked over to her and gently patted her shoulder. "Don't worry Abigail. Back-up is coming." Ducky said gently.

Jenny nodded also walking over to Abby. "It won't be long before SWAT gets there along with three other agencies." Jenny said calmly.

"How long will it take? It only takes 1.23 seconds to pull a trigger! McGee could be dead by the time they get there! Does anyone think of that?" Abby shouted. "This is ridiculous! Why did they have to suffer? What's taking SWAT so long? Why McGee?"

There wasn't anything Jenny or Ducky could say to comfort Abby…probably because they were wondering the same thing.

((-))

McGee closed his eyes. He knew what was coming. _**WWGD**? **W**hat **w**ould **G**ibbs **d**o?_ McGee wondered. _He would probably try to talk his way out of it. Tony would probably do the same thing. Ziva would defiantly come up with some martial arts moves that would kill the guy. But I'm not Gibbs, I'm not Tony and I'm not Ziva. So, what am I going to do? There isn't much I can do. _

It was completely silent and a second felt like eternity. _Well, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to be thankful that I lived this long and be thankful about all of the wonderful people I've met…like Abby._ McGee thought. _My last thoughts will be about those people, Abby, Ducky, Jenny, Tony, Ziva and Gibbs… _

((-))

Gibbs, Tony and Ziva ended up in the same small hallway together. "Gibbs!" Ziva said happily.

_Screw the rules! _Gibbs thought as he rushed over to hug his two agents. Tony and Ziva were not expecting the hug. It was nothing like Gibbs had ever done before. It lasted only a second, but Tony and Ziva understood what Gibbs felt like. "I thought I lost you guys…" Gibbs said quietly before pretending to be stern again. "DiNozzo!"

Tony straightened up. "Yes boss?" Tony barked.

Gibbs gave him a smile. "Take the front," Gibbs said in a less harsh tone.

Ziva smiled as well. "It's like no time gassed…massed…flashed? No…passed!" Ziva said after a while.

((-))

Taking a deep breath McGee, felt himself at peace. Odd how you can feel so calm when you're about to die… "Drop the weapon!" A firm voice stated.

McGee opened his eyes. He knew that voice. "Gibbs!" McGee said quickly.

The man pressed the gun harder into McGee's head. Gibbs was holding a gun against the man's head. Tony and Ziva also had their guns withdrawn behind Gibbs. "It was supposed to end like this." The man muttered.

"Put the gun down!" Gibbs repeated.

There was a sigh from the man. "I wanted to mess with your minds. I'm smarter than you!" The man said suddenly becoming angry.

Now, Tony was getting tired of this charade. "Put the gun down now or else we will be forced to shoot!" Tony said decisively.

A smile appeared on the man's face as he tightened his grip on the gun. "So, shoot me." The man said quietly before cocking the gun.

Gibbs, Ziva and Tony heard the small cocking of the gun and immediately went into action. All three fired at the exact same time. Half a second later, the man fell to the ground, dead. McGee jumped up from the sound of the gunshot.

Turning around, McGee saw Tony, Ziva and Gibbs all had their guns withdrawn. "How…how did you guys get the guns?" McGee questioned shakily.

Ziva sighed. "We found a box with our belongings in it." Ziva replied.

Glancing around the room, Tony realized how much McGee had to figure out in order to save them. "You okay probie?" Tony asked seriously.

McGee gave him a slight nod looking at the man on the floor. Tony quickly took McGee's arm and led him out of the room. "Let's get out of here." Tony said in a soft voice looking at Ziva and Gibbs as well.

((-))

Standing outside of the control room, Gibbs looked over his agents. "Is anyone hurt?" Gibbs questioned in a soft tone.

Ziva shook her head. "We're fine." Ziva said quickly.

There was silence. McGee looked around at the cement walls. Oh how he despised the cement barriers! "McGee," Tony croaked at last breaking the silence. "Thanks…what you did…it was very brave."

Gibbs and Ziva nodded in agreement. For once, McGee felt as if he were on top of the world. A smile appeared on McGee's face. "Well, I wasn't really that brave." McGee said modestly. "I did have a remote as a weapon…"

Tony, Gibbs and Ziva smiled.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Jenny arrived quickly on the scene after the SWAT team cleared the underground maze. She saw that McGee, Gibbs, Ziva and Tony were all being checked out by the emergency medical services. Besides that, she noticed that they were all alive. She felt her worries disappear. She quickly made her way to their side. "Thank goodness you're okay!" Jenny said quickly.

Gibbs looked at her. "What took you so long?" Gibbs barked.

There was a smile on Jenny's face mixed with the tears in her eyes. She hugged Gibbs. "Fornell's been helping us." Jenny said as she broke away from Gibbs.

Snorting, Gibbs shook his head. "No wonder you couldn't find us any sooner…" Gibbs said.

Tony looked up. "Don't tell me Ron Sacks…" Tony said with horror.

Jenny smiled. "Yes, Agent Sacks has also been assisting." Jenny said calmly. "Right now, we're just trying to figure out what happened. Why don't we get you back to NCIS? We can get your statements there."

Ziva suddenly looked up. "Can I use the…head…before you get my statement?" Ziva asked in a pained expression. "I really have to go…"

((-))

The elevator came to a halt and a tired Gibbs, Ziva, Tony and McGee emerged with Jenny by their side. Within mere seconds, they were being bombarded with hugs from Abby. "You're okay! You're okay!" Abby squealed happily. "I knew you could figure it out McGee!"

Ducky was standing near Abby. Although he wasn't as enthusiastic as Abby, it was obvious he was relived. "I'm glad you are all okay." Ducky said honestly.

Ziva nodded. "Yes, can I use that head now?" Ziva asked impatiently.

Trying to hold back a smile, Jenny nodded. "Go ahead and then meet us in the conference room." Jenny said.

((-))

**Two Hours Later **

After giving their statements, Jenny realized how tired and weary the team appeared to be. She had not thought about how long they had gone without sleep or food for that matter. Ziva was dozing off slightly while Tony already appeared to be asleep. "Thank you for your cooperation." Jenny said in a soft tone. "I'll have agents drive you home."

Tony yawned. "It's okay. We can stay here if you need us…" Tony offered lifting his head off the desk a bit.

Jenny shook her head. "You're all exhausted! Get out of here and if I see you in this office before three days are up, I'll fire you." Jenny said attempting to sound strict.

McGee smiled. "I don't think you have to worry about that." McGee said tiredly.

Nodding, Jenny felt her heart sink. These four people were probably the bravest people she had never known. They managed to get out alive, but who knows what nightmares they would have! As Gibbs began to walk out with the others following him, Ziva suddenly stopped. She turned to Jenny. "What was the little girl's full name?" Ziva questioned.

There was silence as Jenny had a look of sadness on her face. "Lola Goodwill," Jenny said quietly.

_That is a name I will never forget._ Ziva promised. "Lola Goodwill…" Ziva whispered to herself.

((-))

Tony entered his apartment and made his way into his bedroom. He hadn't sleep in nearly two days. Sighing, he collapsed on the bed. He felt so tired that he thought he was going to just pass out, but he found he could not. His thoughts kept drifting towards the time he spent in that…place. He felt horrible that Ziva had to choose between him and a little girl. Worse, the child had gotten killed. He thought about how McGee had managed to save them all. Tony always knew that McGee was smart and brave even, although he never liked to admit it, but the bravery that McGee possessed in that room was like nothing Tony had seen. McGee risked his life to save theirs…

Finally, without even knowing it, the darkness dragged Tony into a deep sleep…

((-))

Gibbs wasn't quite sure how to feel when he got home. He was tired, so he went into his bedroom. He felt proud of his agents, but he also felt…guilty. He should have done something more, but what could he have done? His emotions were all over the chart, but he could never let anyone know.

He couldn't help but think what would have happened if one of his agents was killed…like Kate. He would never forgive himself.

((-))

McGee was a bit terrified to enter his own house. He wasn't afraid of the actual house, but of the darkness and the nightmares. He didn't want to have to think about the cold metal against his head… He didn't want to think what would have happened if Gibbs, Tony and Ziva were a second too late…

Resting his head on his pillow, McGee closed his eyes and prayed for a peaceful night.

((-))

Ziva dropped to her knees in her bedroom. She didn't know what had come over her. It was a sudden feeling of sadness and guilt. Her hands were bandaged from the barbed wire and all Ziva could do was weep. The guilt sweep all over her body until she shook with sobs. "Lola Goodwill," Ziva sobbed. "She was so young…"

_Was there anything that I could have done to prevent it?_ Ziva wondered. _Yes, you could have let Tony suffer. But what kind of person would do that? What kind of monster would you be? You, Ziva David, did the correct thing. You had no control over that gun._

Even though her logic told her what she did was right, she still felt absolutely horrific. Ziva ended up crying herself to sleep with emotions that she never knew she had.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**Three Days Later**

Tony, although he would never admit it, like having three days to himself. He had three days to think about what happened and how he would move on. But three days was enough. He wanted to keep working and just forget it all. That's why he was in the NCIS building at five o'clock that early morning.

He sat at his desk wondering what to do. There were no files that needed to be read over and no paperwork that needed to be done. Tony glanced around the empty office. Suddenly, Ziva came into view. Her eyes were red and teary. She seemed surprised to see him. "Tony!" Ziva said in a quiet voice. "What are you doing here so early?"

Smiling, Tony looked at her. "I think the question is, why are you here so early?" Tony asked.

Ziva shrugged sitting down. "I hated staying home." Ziva answered.

Tony couldn't help but notice her distressed look. "Are you okay Ziva?" Tony questioned seriously.

Wiping her tears away, Ziva nodded. "Forget about it," Ziva said firmly.

"It's not your fault." Tony said quickly.

Before Ziva could reply, McGee entered. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw Tony and Ziva sitting at their desks. "W…what are you doing here?" McGee stuttered.

For the first time in days, Tony actually felt like making a joke…not just one to make someone feel better, but his usual jokes. "In case you forgot, we work here probie." Tony said with a smile.

Sitting at his desk, McGee shook his head. "It's five in the morning…" McGee said yawning.

Suddenly, no one had anything to say. They became lost in their own thoughts. It was as silent as death. Time seemed to pass slowly and minutes later, Gibbs walked over to his desk. He did not seem surprised that Tony, Ziva and McGee were there early. He simply sat down and began to work through a pile of papers without saying a word. "What are we doing today boss?" Tony asked quickly.

Gibbs looked up at Tony before looking at Ziva and McGee. "Well, today, we're not going to drink anything and we're not going to get kidnapped." Gibbs said firmly with a smile in his eyes.

"Wait, if we don't drink anything, won't we die?" Tony asked trying to keep a straight face.

Quickly, Gibbs walked behind Tony and gave him a slight tap on the head. Tony rubbed his head. Ziva smiled and McGee did as well. It seemed as if everything was getting back to normal. However, it wasn't that way. Jenny entered and she noticed them immediately. "I knew I would find you all here." Jenny said softly. "I have some news."

"Are you waiting for Christmas?" Gibbs questioned impatiently.

Jenny walked over to the monitor between McGee's desk and Tony's desk. She took the remote and a picture came on the screen. "This is Wyatt Thompson." Jenny said slowly. "He was born and raised in Washington D.C."

Ziva felt her blood freeze. "He's the man that kidnapped us." Ziva stated.

Nodding, Jenny sighed. "I realize that. Ducky was able to get an ID from his fingerprints. Apparently, he murdered three women marines when he was fifteen. Even though he could have been tried as an adult, he was tried as a child and was out of jail on his eighteenth birthday. The lead agent was Roger Simmons." Jenny said.

McGee looked surprised. "Wait, if we weren't in charge of the case, why did he pick us?" McGee questioned.

"Well, his mother abused him as a child. He dropped out of high school when he was thirteen. He hates people who mask their true selves and he felt that society was crushing him. He lost faith in people and when he was arrested, that's why he claimed he did it. He said those women were masking their true selves and that they were crushing him. Six months ago, a female marine was murdered. Her name was Elizabeth Dow. You four questioned him in her murder, but the case was never solved. As I recall, you firmly believed it was him, but he didn't appear to have a criminal history because his records were sealed. It was impossible to get him." Jenny said calmly.

Shaking her head, Ziva couldn't follow the conversation. "If he got away, why would he be so angry with us?" Ziva asked.

Jenny flipped to another picture. It was a wall covered in pictures…picture of them. "He suffered a mental breakdown of some sort. He became obsessed with all four of you. He's been planning for this six months. As odd as it seems, I think he wanted you to kill him." Jenny said quietly.

Gibbs cleared his throat. "What makes you think that?" Gibbs questioned.

Jenny clicked the remote again. "This," Jenny said. "Ducky found it in his pocket. Case closed."

With that, Jenny set the remote down and left them to read the final note.

_Mr. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Mr. Anthony DiNozzo, Ms. Ziva David and Mr. Timothy McGee, _

_You probably hate me and I can understand why. If you are reading this, then I am dead…finally. It was the only way anyone could stop me. I had to do it. I would have kept killing, so I just needed to be terminated. Thank you for saving the lives of many others. Please know that I never would have killed you. I just liked watching you suffer, like I did. _

_In the end, you played a wonderful game. However, it's over. Do you understand that much? You have the opportunity to live…you have the chance to move on! Meet the love of your life, get married, have kids…teach them how to play baseball…watch them grow up…grow old yourself! What simple pleasures! You were locked inside for twenty four hours, but do not create your own cement walls and lock your soul inside! _

_I know it seems odd that I'm giving you advice, but I can't explain why I've done what I have done. I'm sorry, but know that everything I am saying comes from my heart. _

_Good luck, _

_Wyatt Thompson _

Looking around the room, there was silence as everyone thought about Wyatt's words. _Do not create your own cement walls and lock your soul inside…_ Gibbs took a deep breath. His cell phone rang. After a few seconds, Gibbs hung up. "Gear up." Gibbs said calmly. "We have a case."

**The End **

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.

A/N- Thank you for all of your kind reviews. Your wonderful words have made this story my most successful story yet! Funny how this was all based on a dream…maybe I need to have more weird dreams… Anyway, if you liked this story, check out my other stories!

Thanks for reading,

Kylie Anderson


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